Denver Nuggets guard Jamal Murray gestures to the crowd in the waning moments of the team’s NBA basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers late Saturday, Dec. 2, 2017, in Denver. The Nuggets won 115-100. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

LOS ANGELES – All Denver point guard Jamal Murray had to do was dribble out the clock Saturday night. Lakers players were untucking their jerseys, their night presumably done after a major fourth quarter collapse that led to a 115-100 loss.

Murray, however, had one last message to send.

As he bolted past Lonzo Ball, Murray dribbled the ball around one side of the Lakers rookie while running past him on the other. Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle were quick to foul Murray in defense of Ball, while the entire transaction quickly went viral.

A day later, the Lakers made it clear that they did not take kindly to Murray’s display of one-upsmanship, with Luke Walton calling it “immature.”

“I wasn’t a fan of it,” said Larry Nance Jr., who was on the bench. “You already won, no need to showboat. … That’s kind of an unwritten rule of (even) high school basketball. That’s Day 1. You don’t show anybody up. That’s an obvious sign of disrespect so we took it as such.”

Murray offered something of an apology Saturday night, telling reporters he “may have taken it to far” and that it was “a bad play.”

Walton said he would show video of the play prior to the Lakers next matchup with Denver, on March 9, “hopefully to motivate and (tick) our guys off a little bit.”

Ball’s back was turned as Murray dribbled around him, and it was not clear if he even recognized what had happened. For as many headlines as Ball generates, they never stem from comments he makes. Asked about Murray’s play prior to Sunday’s matchup with Denver, Ball once again declined to escalate the situation.

“I don’t care,” he said.

For the time being, the exchange serves as a reminder of a message Walton has spent the season imparting to his team.

“We have to trust each other because we’re all we have,” Walton said. “The fans are laughing, their players are laughing. Teams like beating up on the Lakers. We have each other. Because that’s who we have to rely on.”

MIKE’D UP

In NBA circles, it’s possible no one’s opinion on point guards is as valued as that of Mike D’Antoni. The one-time Lakers coach helped Steve Nash become a two-time MVP and made Kendall Marshall an assists machine in L.A.

So, here’s what he thinks of Ball: He likes him, but wishes people didn’t compare him to the great point guards who came before him.

“That’s probably not fair to him,” D’Antoni said.

This season, D’Antoni is balancing two future Hall of Fame playmakers in Chris Paul and James Harden. His focus has not been on Ball.

“I’ve seen him enough,” D’Antoni said. “I know he’s got talent, he’s good. But I don’t think it does anybody justice to compare to people that it takes four-to-five years in the league to get where they’ve gotten. … I can’t see in the future, but obviously he’s a talented kid.”

EVERYDAY COREY

He is no A.C. Green, but the NBA’s active “iron man” hit a new milestone on Sunday. When Corey Brewer checked in against the Rockets with four seconds left in the first quarter it marked his 300th straight appearance, the most currently in the NBA.

Green, who spent nine of his 17 NBA seasons with the Lakers, appeared in 1,192 straight games over nearly 15 years.

Cleveland’s Tristan Thompson had been the league’s active leader before his streak was snapped at 447 games on April 4.

An 11th-year veteran, Brewer is averaging 12.4 minutes per game for the Lakers, averaging 2.9 points and 1.1 rebounds.

Bill Oram covers the Los Angeles Lakers for the Southern California News Group. He covered the Utah Jazz for the Salt Lake Tribune. He is the (usually) bearded guy in the background wearing a University of Montana hat.

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